On an Impulse
by Shsway
Summary: Following Saionji's expulsion, the student council elects a new Kendo captain. As the keepers of the Black Rose begin to plot against Utena and Anthy, the two start to recognize something beneath the surface of their unlikely friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Previously Obliterated Disclaimer:** _Shoujo Kakumei Utena_ and the characters within its universe are the intellectual property of Be-Papas. I am merely taking them out for a spin across the dance floor, and as such am not receiving payment of any kind for this tale.

Chronologically, the story begins just after Utena's hostile night encounter with Jury in episode 7, filling in certain gaps that I've perceived here and there until a point in time just before the events of episode 15, "The Landscape Framed by Kozue". In other words, before those with ties to members of the Student Council, and with certain access to their soul swords, are decisively targeted by the "boys of the Black Rose".

**Dedications: **This one is for a favorite cousin, for a dear friend who I wish was still in my life, and for **D**, who will always be a part of my heart, even if we never see or speak to one another again. I always write with you in mind.

* * *

**~ On an Impulse ~**

By Shsway

The city of Hou'ou lay close to the ocean, it's boundaries embracing the gentle waves like an old friend coming home. The spring weather seemed more like summer, as humid evening air swirled over the houses in the valley and over the large hill surveying the land.

Resting on this hill, Ohtori Academy housed more than a thousand young men and women who enjoyed what might be thought of as a privileged opportunity at higher learning. The school's fame for excellence in academics and athletics made it an obvious goal for any parent who could see past the elevated tuition fees to the wonders of its facilities and teaching staff.

Ohtori was practically a city within itself. Its numerous buildings stretched out completely over the hill to a large area beyond, enclosed by a high marble wall and gate. The overall design was stunning to say the least, with every building sharing the same detail and care in its construction.

The dormitory near the entrance known as East Hall wouldn't have particularly struck anyone crossing the campus. It wasn't old or shabby-looking, and even had a nice sundial in the front yard. It was only by walking inside or asking someone who lived on the school grounds that one realized East Hall hadn't been lived in for over 10 years. The lobby and dining room were clean enough, the chandeliers within these rooms as bright as if they were polished daily. A piano sat in an empty room on the first floor, seemingly waiting for the errant pianist to return.

Knowing all this, it would have seemed odd to find that all of the rooms looked very much abandoned. The walls and floor within them were peeling and cracked, all covered with dust and cobwebs. Even the sparse amount of furniture within them lay stained or broken.

Even so, a young girl entered the front door and slowly took the stairs with soft, padding footsteps. She was making her way to the one room in this empty little place that wasn't completely trashed.

* * *

Cradling a sleeping monkey-mouse in her arms, Tenjou Utena stepped into the sanctity of her dorm room around midnight. With a quick glance confirming that her roommate was safely tucked in, she quietly closed the door, and laid Chuchu in a basket of Anthy's sewing supplies on her desk. His small, squeaky snores were the only sound to be heard, as she quickly traded her school uniform for the blue, cotton pajamas that she favored. She climbed up the ladder to the top bunk, careful not to make the steps creak too much, and fell gratefully into the sheets as she reached for her pillow.

Considering she was completely drained from the day's activities, it was a wonder she hadn't just given in to the comfort of her surroundings. Instead, Utena found her thoughts going back to the rather short conversation she'd had with Arisugawa Jury just moments before. The fencing captain had not only touched a nerve - she had clearly given it a slap for good measure, as Utena again began to question her reasons for being at Ohtori Academy. Questions she thought had been answered about herself and her motives were brought back to the surface. She felt terrified at the thought that she was no closer to understanding herself or her destiny.

Her main preoccupation wasn't even with the argument, or the resulting challenge. In her mind, the young duelist replayed the feel of Jury's hand as it drifted slowly through her rose-colored hair and down her arm. She was sure that the older woman had intended to kiss her, as she closed the space between them, bringing their faces ever closer. Utena had tensed up when the dark, proud eyes looked deeply into her own, threatening to break down her defenses.

It was a silly thought. The close contact had ultimately been a ruse to catch her off-guard and nothing more.

Utena tried to find a more comfortable position to think. Lying back, she folded her hands in her lap, and azure eyes fixed onto the ceiling. She realized that it wasn't the thought of Jury's advances that worried her – it was what had gone through her mind as it happened. For a brief moment, Himemiya Anthy's face and gentle touch had replaced those of the fencer. For all intents and purposes, it had been the Rose Bride's disarming eyes looking all the way into her being.

A twinge of shock, the same that had coursed through her body before, resurfaced as a blush colored her cheeks.

The protection of her unusual companion hadn't always been the major drive in her participation of "the duels." The first battle with Saionji Kyouichi, Vice-President of the Student Council, hadn't been planned at all. She had fought him for the sole purpose of defending the honor of her best friend, Shinohara Wakaba, who'd had a love letter she had written to him pinned onto a bulletin board for all to read. The last thing Utena had expected was to emerge from this duel with not only a victory, but a bride as well.

She shook her head. It was too strange to get into.

On the one hand was the student council, and the fact that they all carried rings identical to the one she herself had been given by her childhood prince. On the other, was Anthy, who for some reason was engaged to the victor of the duels and lived only for what that particular person desired. Up until recently, only the Student Council had known about these proceedings and they treated it as a given. Utena had often thought of approaching a teacher or the principal with questions about the whole thing...but according to Wakaba and her classmates, the Council had an unusual amount of power at Ohtori. There seemed to be no point in arguing with people who could bypass a teacher's authority, or get her kicked out for not following their odd set of rules.

Both hands aside, the young girl sleeping in the bunk just below hers remained a mystery. By her observations, Himemiya wasn't nearly assertive enough to fight back against those who would decide her fate. Apparently, that was what the duel champion was there for - to watch out for the Rose Bride and defend the right to decide for her. But she wanted to know the true heart of the girl who hid behind the passive smile; the times when the real person emerged were all too rare and far between for Utena's curiosity.

Her own feelings had gotten increasingly jumbled in this new role of protector. Utena always felt a sort of invisible breeze trace a path across her skin, whenever Anthy stepped into a room. Not all that unpleasant, but confusing. It was just what she had told Jury – there was some sort of connection between her and the Rose Bride, a kind of bond of destiny that she simply couldn't explain. Undoubtedly, the scent of roses that was a staple of Anthy's labors made her think of the beloved Prince she had waited so long to find. He had become, after all, the main focus of her young life. It was hard to say if she truly felt something more, something tangible for him beyond a child's curiosity. But if the thought of him made her giddy, the simple memory of the dance she had shared with Himemiya at the school ball drove her to absolute distraction. Her recent grade on that damned math exam was evidence enough.

She remembered the ease by which their steps had guided them across the floor, the white-hot lights that had been focused on them, and the softness of Anthy's hands. Mostly she remembered the radiant smile that was such a contrast to the usually sullen and unresponsive expression of the Rose Bride. Forgotten were the stares of their classmates and Touga's semi-lecherous gaze. That night, she had been the prince she so sought to emulate. All that she had been aware of was the lilting waltz, and the sparkling green eyes of a princess.

"Utena-sama?"

The girl in question was awake. Quickly putting her previous thoughts aside, the young duelist leaned over the edge of her bed, allowing bright pink locks to fall haphazardly about her face, like a curtain.

"I'm back," she whispered, squinting in the darkness.

"Oh good," said Anthy, rubbing her eyes with tanned fists. "Did Chuchu give you any trouble?"

"Nah, not really. His fear of the dark was keeping him up, but he got over it. He's sleeping like a rock."

In fact, he had barely felt that toss to the ground, post Jury's attempt to take the rose seal.

Utena watched as Anthy's eyes moved briefly to her small friend dozing peacefully in the basket; she seemed to nod with approval at the bed chosen for him. Smiling gently, she turned back to her engaged.

"And what's keeping you awake?"

Utena shrugged. Well, as much as she could, considering her position.

"I don't know, I guess the usual bunch of things. Class, the duels..." She paused, seeing Anthy rise from her bed and get to her feet.

"Do you want me to get you a snack? Perhaps you'd like a drink of water or juice..."

Straightening up, Utena waved both hands quickly in front of her. "No, no. I'm not hungry. I just need to relax enough for sleep, that's all. You should go back to bed."

Anthy smiled then began to climb the ladder. Utena wanted to tell her not to worry, but she was caught by the unusual vision of Himemiya's long, violet hair hanging loosely about her blue robe, her glasses absent from her face. She had never seen her like this - in the moonlight, and without the usual prim and common guise she cultivated much like she did her roses.

She really was quite lovely.

Utena found herself shaking her head at the thought, and scolded herself for thinking it in the first place.

"Then if you don't want a snack, I'll just keep you company until you fall asleep. There's enough room up top, isn't there?" Large green eyes looked up at her with an almost hopeful expression.

Still mute, Utena nodded, hoping she wasn't as flushed as she felt. Anthy silently drew the sheets over them both, gazing at her with somewhat adoring eyes just inches away from her own.

Closing them, the duelist tried to ignore the other presence in the bed. "There is something else, I guess."

"What?" The tone was patiently attentive.

After this day, a limit of one complicated conversation per day had to be set. "Do you think that being inspired by nobility is just as good as being born with it?"

At first, Utena thought that Anthy had fallen asleep, since all she could hear was the girl's breathing by her side. Upon opening in her eyes, she was mildly surprised to find her companion staring at the ceiling with both eyes open, apparently formulating an answer.

"If a person can be inspired to be noble, Utena-sama, don't you think that they have been born with that trait...that they already possess it?"

Utena's lips curled into a bemused expression. "A question to answer a question."

Anthy smiled, but continued looking at the ceiling. "Being noble isn't always about doing what other people think is noble."

The duelist pondered this for a moment. It seemed a terribly vague answer.

Utena was worried that Jury might have been right about her - about any nobility she had being some kind of act, or childish fantasy. As far as she could remember, she hadn't spent very much time in the company of the prince, but she remembered well enough what storybooks and legends told of princes. It was their souls that cried nobility, their honest desire to be upright individuals that made them unique. That was what she had admired in him, or at least, what she remembered feeling. Simply put, she liked that he could save people. He was strong, and kind and…well, noble.

"Does this help you at all?" Anthy asked, her voice a shade softer than before.

Utena nodded and closed her eyes. "Actually, it does."

This wasn't just about a prince anymore. Maybe she wasn't the best person to protect the Rose Bride, but the young woman would surely try. For Himemiya's sake as well as her own.

Anthy began to stroke Utena's hair in a soothing motion, which seemed for a moment to have the opposite of its intended effect. It made her start, made her think once more to Jury, and what had happened out on the school grounds. Eventually though, the young duelist felt her thoughts drifting away, and Himemiya's gentle touch leaving her warm and drowsy. The last thing she remembered before unconsciousness set in was Anthy's arm drawing her closer, and the inevitably rosy scent of her skin.

In the morning she was gone, somehow having left Utena's side without waking her. Neither of them talked much at breakfast, and it was as if the previous night had never been.

In a way, it was kind of a relief to the duel champion.

* * *

One Month Later ~

The air was a touch cooler than usual on the Student Council Tower, specifically on the large balcony used for the weekly meetings. It offered a commanding view of the school's expensive training facilities for soccer and track, as well as the shaggy, dense grouping of forest that hid the gates to the forbidden dueling arena.

Still, the young woman sitting at the small table, usually occupied by the Council itself, barely took in her surroundings or even noticed them. She was patiently waiting, obediently waiting for the Council President to return from his errands. As she thoughtfully stirred the contents of the rose-shaped teacup in her hands, her small, ravenous friend was having his fill from a tray of cookies on the table.

Without words, she scolded him for his usual gluttony and warned him of the troubles of an upset stomach. Cheerfully meeting her gaze with an almost blank one, Chuchu continued munching on his snack.

Now, now – am I not entitled to my own thoughts, little one? Anthy was asking him. You've never worried about my preference of one master over another before…not that such a thing is possible.

And yet…

The Rose Bride stared at the place across from hers; just empty air. But it wasn't difficult to fill with a graceful form in a black school uniform. A girl with long, pink tresses that gave her a winning smile.

Anthy didn't have to look at the monkey-mouse to read his next thought. She smiled.

I know you miss her. She's the only one to have lacked the desire to kick you and your large belly out of the way.

Chuchu blinked once in assent, his molars busily working on another treat, as his mistress' eyes settled on a plain, white handkerchief by her cup. Picking it up, she could see the letters "U. T." clearly emblazoned on it in pink. It brought her a small amount of comfort somehow.

Not that I've been worried or anything like that, she found herself explaining. The Rose Bride does the bidding of whomever she is engaged to. You heard him before – I am Touga-sama's 'beautiful bird' now.

She wondered absently whether all of her masters had found her "beautiful".


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

That night, as Utena and her newly won bride made their way back to the dorm, she truly had to wonder how she had managed to pull off the victory. Touga had all the power and strength at his disposal - a fact he had made perfectly clear from his small show of the Sword of Dios. She found herself returning to that now familiar place of awe and fear, as she remembered how the sword had burst into a brilliant, ruby-colored haze. It had indeed been beautiful, but the fact remained that Utena had remained virtually untouched by this "great" power.

Oh, save for a scratch here and there - something Anthy had taken it upon herself to attend to, much to her champion's discomfort.

"Eeeeyah!" she yelped, as Himemiya reached a particularly tender part of her waist with the disinfectant.

"It's unlike you to whine, Utena-sama," Anthy said matter-of-factly, continuing to spread the ointment with a cloth.

The duelist blushed. "I just wish you'd hurry up so I can put my shirt back on. If you were me, you'd be embarrassed about this too." She found herself being thankful that despite the injuries inflicted on her, her bra had somehow escaped unscathed.

Anthy paused in her ministrations to briefly make eye contact with her patient. "There is nothing here I am unfamiliar with."

Utena's cheeks clashed a little more violently with her hair. Moments later, Anthy was sat up to check her progress. "That should do it. I'll need to make some small stitches on these wounds to insure that they heal properly."

Almost immediately, her companion shot up from her seat. "I'm sure the school nurse can handle it, Himemiya – I'll go see her now…" The sentiment was wasted, however, as a firm hand pushed her back into the chair by her right shoulder.

"There's no need to trouble anyone at this hour, Utena-sama. Besides, it's my job as your bride to take care of you. Be still and I won't take as long."

Kneeling down, Anthy reached for the sewing basket that she had placed on their small, pink table, quickly preparing a plain white thread and needle for the task. Her engaged sighed and gave in to what was coming. Still, Utena couldn't hold back the tiniest of smiles. She knew that Anthy was performing a duty, but it was nice nonetheless to have someone fussing over her.

"Where did you learn to patch people up like this?"

"It's like anything else. It's easy enough to learn with practice."

Utena doubted that any of the other duelists had sustained injuries like this that frequently. Then again, she didn't know how long Saionji had been the duel champion, or how many others had fought before him. Or even how long Anthy had been the Rose Bride. Those were questions for another day.

"Himemiya," she asked aloud, "Why didn't you tell me before about what you could do with the sword?" She held her breath to keep from crying out at a particularly delicate insertion of the needle.

Unfazed, Anthy finished working on a gash by Utena's right rib, and scooted around the duelist to start on one in her left arm. "You never asked, Utena-sama. I know you don't like talking about the duels to begin with."

Utena let out the breath she had been holding in and closed her eyes. "Maybe I should just make it a point to be better informed, huh?"

Anthy just smiled. Before long she was finished sewing up the deeper wounds, and quietly putting her materials away.

Anyone else would have been filled with questions about the battle – specifically, how the champion of said battle had summoned up the strength to win despite downright ridiculous odds. Any other girl would have screamed at Utena for giving in to misplaced personal feelings, for letting cruel, uncaring hands have her.

As she stood to go wash her hands, the Rose Bride found her left wrist caught in a gentle grip. Looking down somewhat suspiciously, her dark green eyes found the tender expression of Ohtori's current duel champion.

"Himemiya," Utena began, almost whispering, "I was an idiot to believe what Touga was feeding me. I failed you when you needed me the most... and I'm really sorry."

To her surprise, Anthy's eyes seemed to soften a bit. "You wanted so much to believe he was your Prince of years gone by. I understand."

Utena blushed. "Thanks to my big mouth, everyone seems to know about that."

"Don't worry Utena-sama, you haven't hurt me. And I am engaged to you now."

Rubbing her left temple in a semi-frustrated gesture, Utena looked down at the floor.

"There's just one thing. When you told me that you hated being the Rose Bride, well…I understand that you were only saying what I wanted you to say. I thought I knew what you needed, without thinking I was giving you some kind of command. I won't do that anymore. From now on, you're free to do whatever you want – whether it's spending time with Chuchu and me, or making new friends."

Their resident eating machine paused in his exploration of Anthy's sewing materials to emphasize this point with an appropriate "Chu".

Before Anthy could reply, with a possible reiteration of her role in life, Utena quietly took her hand and smiled her best smile. "Before anything else, I consider you my friend."

The Rose Bride's eyes widened in what seemed like surprise. "Utena-sama...are we 'friends'?"

The duelist gently squeezed the tanned hand of her engaged.

They looked at each other for a moment, silently coming to an understanding. For his part, Chuchu popped up beside their joined hands and placed both of his smaller ones on top, closing his eyes.

"CHU!" he declared, with a saucy grin.

Early the next morning, the cozy dorm was bustling with activity and conversation, courtesy of one Shinohara Wakaba. While Anthy was busy making beds and folding up clean shirts, Utena sat at their small table, working anew on mathematical equations. After what had happened on the last test, she was making it a point to consult with Miki whenever she had questions, and keeping an eye on Anthy's schoolwork too. She had even summoned up the motivation to work on a Sunday, as gorgeous as this one was.

"…I mean, can you believe that they actually tried to make the audience think that they were cousins? Frankly, I'd have a lot of things to ask myself if I was as close to my cousin as they seem to be…"

Wakaba's usually flighty speech pattern had brought Utena back from figuring out how line GX could possibly be equal to segment T.

"Hey, it's done! Your uniform's as good as new for you to wear!" Cheerfully tying off the end of her string and snipping off what was left in the needle, Wakaba held up the jacket for her best friend to look over.

The duelist smiled. "That looks great. Thank you, Wakaba."

Before she knew it, a gasping petition for air replaced her smile, as Wakaba put her in an excited, affectionate choke hold.

"You're so welcome! Anything for my beloved Utena! Come on, come on, let's see if it looks alright!"

After being mercifully released, Utena accepted her uniform back, and easily slipped it over the white track-shirt she had been wearing. Finding it absent of any tears, she carefully rearranged her hair over the collar.

"Chu!" was the monkey-mouse's approving comment, as he gave Utena a "thumbs up". He then returned to skipping rope with a noodle from his breakfast plate.

Giggling, the duelist looked over in Anthy's direction to check on her progress. She now seemed to be organizing their shelf space and sorting their clothing by color and season. "You sure you don't want to take a break, Himemiya? I'm nearly done here – we could all take a walk or something."

The Rose Bride paused in her labors to wipe a small bead of sweat from her brow. "I am nearly done as well, Utena-sama. We can go on that walk, if you like."

Utena found herself rolling her eyes. "Only if you really feel like coming along."

Anthy smiled. "Of course. It'll give me a chance to stop by the Rose Garden before the sun is high and hot."

Her engaged turned to their visitor. "Are you up for it, Wakaba?"

The girl blushed. "Actually, I've already got plans for today. I, uh, need to head into town to get some shopping done…"

Before Utena could ask if she wanted company, Wakaba had given her a goodbye hug and skipped over to the door.

"I'll see you both later!" she called, and with a wave to Anthy and Chuchu she was gone.

"Strange," Utena murmured, but thought nothing more of her friend's sudden urgency to leave.

"Shall we go, Utena-sama?" It seemed that the duelist would only have one companion, since Chuchu had settled down for an after-breakfast snooze on Anthy's pillow.

* * *

It was a little-known fact that Touga's participation in the Kendo Club was minimal. In reality, he served as a kind of advisor to the group, as well as being Saionji's regular sparring partner. The famous rivalry between the two probably had something to do with this arrangement, despite the fact that they were said to have been the best of friends for over 10 years.

With Saionji's recent expulsion from the Academy, it seemed that the Kendo club was not only without a Captain, but that the rest of its members were too shocked and disheartened in the sport to continue with their practices. Most people had assumed that the amazing Student Council President was sure to take over, but rumors had already begun circulating that Kiryuu Touga himself would not be seen around the campus anytime soon. For undoubtedly serious and personal reasons, his younger sister Nanami had taken over the direction of the Student Council. Consequently, she had no time or interest in heading the Kendo Club, leaving the school with no volunteers to fill the position.

None, that is, except for Masamori Ruisu.

He was about a year younger than Saionji and Touga, with a shock of white-blonde hair in a short, slightly spiked style. Standing in the shadows of the Kendo Hall, his keen, light-brown eyes looked over the practice swords neatly sheathed in their holding racks. He wondered if the response from the Student Council would arrive today. The letter would either honor or dismiss his request to assume the role of Kendo Club Captain - it was his fondest wish of late, but also his greatest source of stress.

Was he anywhere close to being able to fill Saionji's shoes? Would his teammates accept the situation and return to training?

Even if they did, he would still have to get them ready for a huge tournament in Kyoto within a month's time. It was something that lay ever at the forefront of his thoughts.

At least if he wasn't made Captain, he wouldn't have to think about that particular competition or any other anytime soon.

* * *

A large glass tank sat in the middle of a pitch-black room, somewhere within the winding corridors of Nemuro Hall. Two young men leaned over it transfixed by the black, luminous water inside and the perfect black rose floating on the surface. The tallest man wore an odd version of the Ohtori school uniform - a dark blue color, with red seams and pockets, and a pair of white pants that gave him a sort of military bearing. His hair was straight, reaching no farther than his shoulders, and it was a light rosy color. His eyes were a dark, brooding brown, making him look as though he were preoccupied with someplace far beyond the here and now.

His companion, on the other hand, was his complete opposite. His large, green eyes shone with curiosity, and even innocence. He stood a few inches shorter than the first man, with noticeably darker skin and coiffed violet hair. His uniform closely resembled that of a duelist, with the same hanging cuff-links and streaming decorations, but it was a dark cranberry color that would have just seemed gaudy on anyone else.

"Our first duelist has been defeated," said the taller man. "Setbacks are going to be expected until we can find someone strong enough to defeat the Rose Bride's champion."

"Yes, Sempai," agreed his associate. "The Chairman's daughter was merely a possibility among the number available to us." He fingered the petals of the flower they gazed upon with tenderness. "Our black rose will soon choose the next contender."

Mikage Souji looked up and smiled at the boy. "You are correct - and you are most captivating when your confidence is so high. That is why the role of the Rose Bride will suit you…quite well."

Still focusing on the mysterious flower in his hand, Chiba Mamiya smiled, but said nothing more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Out of breath and with a black Kendo robe drenched in sweat, the last thing Ruisu wanted was to be distracted from his path to the dorm shower. After having polished his katana to its usual luminous condition and returning it to the sheath on his belt, the young man slid the door to the practice room closed and began his long walk across the campus.

The most annoying part about the Academy, in his opinion, was the amount of time it took to walk from one end of the campus to the other. With its wide, open spaces Ohtori was designed to form a discreet merge with the forest and other natural surroundings in the vicinity. It was especially useful in getting students to wake up and get going when they needed to, lest they be late or miss class entirely. Then again, the distance between the living quarters and the school, between the dorms themselves, offered the students within them a chance to really get to know each other and bond during their stay. Further, this also resulted in some healthy competition among the individual dorms, with the abundance of study groups making use of Ohtori's extensive library and scholastic resources.

Still, Ruisu had a long way to go to get from the Kendo training room to his own room in South Hall. It would have been so much easier to live in nearby East Hall, but no one had lived there in over 10 years. Well, no one but Tenjou Utena and Himemiya Anthy.

Ruisu puzzled once more over that particular arrangement, as he reached up to untie the gray bandana in his hair and scratch the area where it had rubbed against his forehead.

Without warning, a fuzzy shape dropped down directly in his line of vision, and what looked like a small, blue monkey greeted him with a hearty "Chu!" It took the opportunity to scratch its own forehead with a little fist.

"Chuchu, there you are!" called a voice to Ruisu's right.

In a moment, Tenjou Utena was running towards him, obviously referring to the same creature that dangled by its tail from a tree branch just above his head. He hadn't actually seen Utena before now, but had heard much about her from his friends. She was as beautiful as they had told him, and there was no mistaking that rose-colored hair, or the boyish uniform his professors spoke so disdainfully against.

Like most people at school, Ruisu thought she looked quite good in it

"I'm sorry if he's bothering you," the duelist said, catching her breath. "He always picks the right moment to take off." She wagged a finger at Chuchu. "Come down from there, right now! We have to get home or your mistress will worry."

"Chu," the monkey said resignedly, as he swung out in Tenjou's direction and released the branch to land safely in her arms. With apparently nothing more to say, he crossed his tiny arms behind his head, promptly falling asleep.

The girl shook her head and looked at Ruisu. "His version of an apology."

"Friend of yours?" he asked with amusement.

"Friend of a friend."

"What is he exactly?" He tried not to stare at the snot bubble that was clearly emerging from one of the bluish thing's nostrils.

"That's debatable. But what I can tell you is that he's loaded with way too much battery power."

Ruisu laughed. "I noticed. I'm surprised they let you keep him on campus."

Utena rolled her eyes. "Special privilege. It's complicated."

The young man looked at her silently for a moment. "You're Tenjou Utena, aren't you?" he asked, hoping his question sounded nonchalant.

"That's right."

The girl paused with an expected, questioning look. Ruisu's left hand dropped to the hilt of his sword, as if it to reassure himself of his identity.

"I'm Masamori Ruisu of the 10th grade, class D." He inclined his head in greeting.

Utena returned the gesture, then looked to his katana. "I see that you're probably a member of the Kendo Club. I didn't think training sessions ended this late, though."

Ruisu smiled. "You're right, they don't. But with Saionji-san away from his duties, we haven't had practices in awhile. I'm just trying to keep my skills from getting rusty while we find a new replacement for him."

"Ah, I see. I hadn't thought of how the students in the club would be affected by recent events." Utena carefully got a better grip on Chuchu, and laid his head on her left shoulder to cradle him. He seemed to utter a small sigh of contentment before going back to sleep.

"Well, Masamori-san, it's nice to meet you, but I've got to get this guy back to the dorm."

"Nice to meet you too, Tenjou-san" Ruisu said, summoning up a confident tone. "I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to talk."

"Maybe so."

With a slight nod in his direction, Utena turned and walked away. As she did, Ruisu couldn't help but wonder if there was any truth to those rumors about the relationship between Kiryuu Touga and this lovely young woman. He appropriately made a face at the thought.

* * *

"We're back, Himemiya!" Utena called as she stepped through the door. Almost immediately, Chuchu had awakened and hopped to the floor, no doubt scrambling to find something with which to stuff his face. The young woman looked around, scratching the back of her neck in confusion at not finding her friend in the room.

After sharing a quiet lunch, she had gone to play soccer with the boys. Though she had invited Anthy to come along, the ever-meek Rose Bride asked Utena to excuse her, as she needed to get some cleaning out of the way before nightfall. She shrugged off the duel champion's offer to help, but it had still drawn a smile from her usually placid features. Utena felt pretty good about having spent time with Anthy today, and countered that the least she could do was watch Chuchu for the afternoon, which they had agreed on.

He had behaved for the most part, only attempting to join the game once before being clobbered by the ball. After that, he decided it was more fun to be had cheering from the sidelines with a tiny Ohtori team flag in his paw.

Of course every simian wants to return to the trees at some point, and Chuchu saw his chance while Utena was busy guarding the net in the final minutes of the game. She had hastily said good-bye to her team, pulling on her uniform jacket to race after her charge before victory could even be declared.

"Maybe she's gone to visit Akio-san again," Utena mused. "They do seem pretty close."

With a sigh, she went to the closet and pulled out a clean, white towel. One good thing about being the only ones in the dorm was that there was no need to fight anyone for the bathroom or the shower. That always left more than enough hot water for both her and Anthy.

Looking over at the table, she noticed that Chuchu had not only found a bag of crackers but had wasted no time emptying it. Now he lay there on his back in a contented stupor, again with a small bubble emerging from his nostrils.

Utena grinned at the sight. "Well, I'll be right back then. I hope Himemiya comes home soon."

Before departing, the duelist made sure to leave her treasured rose ring in the small drawer of her desk, and the door unlocked, in case Anthy made it back before she herself returned.

It was quite early in the morning when Utena jolted awake, thinking she had heard some movement in the room. Attempting to wait up for Anthy, she had fallen asleep with a book she was reading. The small, black lamp on her bedpost still shone over its open pages. Blinking away the intensity of the light, she called out uncertainly to her roommate.

"Himemiya?"

There was no response. Frowning, Utena shut off the lamp and allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She descended the ladder, bent on getting dressed to go look for her friend.

As her bare feet touched the carpet, however, she spared a glance at Anthy's bed and found that she was already in it. Her delicate hands were tightly gripping the sheets that were pulled all the way up to her chin. Sighing with relief, the duel champion knelt by the Rose Bride's bed and regarded her sleeping face. The girl had probably worn herself out with all the cleaning she'd done, plus the time spent with her engaged and her brother respectively. So much so that she had forgotten to remove her glasses, which Utena gently did.

"Even Rose Brides have their limits, Himemiya," she whispered softly.

The would-be prince tentatively ran a hand through Anthy's dark hair. It was remarkably soft, and though she didn't want to wake her friend, she found herself surprisingly caught in the gesture. With slightly parted lips, the Rose Bride looked blameless and innocent - seemingly untouched by her station in life and as ordinary as anyone else.

How had she gotten to be this way? Who had been the first to break her spirit? She wished that they could have met before all of the strange stuff started happening. Sometimes she felt as though they had known each other long before now.

Pulling back almost regretfully from her caresses, Utena remembered the Rose Seal; the ring that had started it all. She quickly stood and walked to her desk, retrieving her heirloom and putting it back on her finger. She then took a moment to lock the door to their room, leaning her left arm against the smooth surface in thought.

She had no idea what she could possibly do to improve Anthy's life, though she had promised herself as well as the girl not to interfere. Lifting her hand, she looked helplessly at the ring. Once more she wished that the gift from her long lost prince had not forced her to fight in these duels, to fight for possession of another human soul. Still, this same ring had brought Anthy into her life - something she couldn't just wish away. Utena was determined to keep her safe, prince or no prince.

Turning back, she nearly bit her lip to find Anthy sitting up and watching her. Their eyes met briefly before the Rose Bride turned her gaze to the sheets. Slowly, Utena walked back towards the bed to kneel by it once more.

"Utena-sama, forgive me," the girl began, with a note of shame in her voice. "I didn't mean to get back so late..."

"Shhh, Himemiya," the duelist whispered. "Don't worry about it. I was just afraid that maybe you'd gotten hurt somewhere on campus." She let the memory of Saionji's bizarre kidnapping hang in the air.

With a sigh of relief, Utena climbed the ladder up to her bed and shut off the lamp. Picking up her forgotten book, she crawled over to the end of the bed and carefully let it drop onto the small vanity by the closet. As she lay back, gathering her sheets in both hands, she heard Anthy's gentle voice in the darkness.

"I was spending time with my brother, earlier."

Utena smiled to herself. "I figured. I'm sorry I didn't think about that earlier- you could've gone to him sooner."

"But you wanted us to spend some time together as well. You seemed to be pleased"

"I was," Utena said softly. "Did you enjoy yourself, too?"

An odd wave of hope surged through her, though for what, she didn't know.

There was a pause, as though Anthy were trying to draw an answer out of the air. "I'm always content to be by your side, Utena-sama."

Strangely, Utena felt her heart drop. "I'm glad," she said with a sigh. The rose-haired duelist rolled over with her back to the room. "We should probably get some sleep now."

"I agree," she heard the voice below say. "Goodnight, Utena-sama."

"Goodnight, Himemiya."

* * *

_She lay crumpled at his feet refusing to gaze upward, beyond the polished white boots. Keeping her forehead to the icy floor, her hair lay tangled in the dirt, and her red dress clung in rags to her thin frame._

_"Look at me," he commanded._

_The Rose Bride wished to obey, but she was unworthy of looking upon the face of her Savior, her Lord. She could feel his eyes on her, and the rage that filled his being._

_"I SAID 'LOOK AT ME,' WHORE!"_

_She wasn't sure what tore at her body more - his words or the sharp kick to her ribs. Whatever the pain, she most likely deserved the punishment. Her crime was unimportant._

_Slowly her fear swept through her like a curl of smoke. She felt a wrenching at her throat; something was forcing her to bend her neck and raise her glance. She could feel the pain intensify to a dragging agony as she felt the familiar stabs and weight. Hot, almost pulsing liquid seeped over her hands and feet._

_The medals on his jacket shone bright and blinding, though she tried to avert her eyes. She sobbed from the strain but he would now allow her to voice it, as the invisible grip on her throat tightened, draining away her strength. With casual trepidation, she finally met his eyes and found herself screaming..._

* * *

The scream tempered itself down to a gasp as Anthy suddenly awakened. Spasms of pain continued to roll through her body, and it took her awhile to control her trembling enough to think clearly. Her skin was covered in a light slick of sweat, but thankfully nothing else.

She had, thankfully, been able to sufficiently curb her shock and had not disturbed her engaged, who continued to sleep peacefully above her. She was sure that even if Utena had awakened she would have had nothing but kind words and concern to offer her. But Anthy couldn't indulge in that sort of pity. She was the Rose Bride, and she was to see to her protector's needs, not the other way around. That and there would be too many difficult questions to answer, about something more than her dreams.

"Chu?"

Her smallest friend had apparently also just awakened. His hurried questions rapidly mingled with her thoughts and she had to smile at his concern.

I'm fine, Chuchu. Really I am. And no, I don't think I need to wake Utena-sama. She takes good care of us and doesn't need any extra concerns on her shoulders.

The little monkey-mouse was standing by his empty cracker bag on the table, arms crossed and eyes closed as he shook his head at his mistress.

_Yes, little one, as stubborn as always. You know who and what I am well enough._ Rolling over to face him, she fluffed up her pillow and pulled the covers up around her. _We should be getting back to sleep anyway - we've a few hours until morning, yet. Go on, I'll be fine._

Anthy watched in amusement as her friend continued to grumble, but leaped anyway from the table to the floor. Chuchu climbed the wooden ladder on the bunk beds to reach the bedpost that his red sleeping bag hung from. It didn't take him long to get bundled up and fall fast asleep.

As soon as she stopped hearing his voice of sorts, Anthy threw the covers back once more and stood up. It was true that morning wasn't far away, but she definitely wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. She absently threw the remains of Chuchu's snack in the trash bin under her desk, wondering if there was anything she could do to occupy her time without waking her roommate.

She turned to consider the woman sleeping in the top bunk. She was definitely something Anthy wasn't used to dealing with, given her extensive experience with previous masters and mistresses. Yes, she'd had women before, but none so difficult to figure out as Utena. It was almost as if the rose-haired duelist was completely ignorant of the duties she could be forced to perform, as per the implications of the code of the rose. Often enough, she was not only a servant to the one who possessed her, but also shared his bed.

It made Anthy more than a little suspicious that Utena hadn't made that request of her. In the past, most anyone who had fought for her possession did so to physically have her, as much as to obtain the Power of Dios. Her role as the Rose Bride didn't allow much room for vanity, but she was quite aware of a remarkable skill when it came to instilling desire in another. It was all part of the game - twisting a person's heart to suit her purpose. Not that she could actually make any feelings surface on their own. A person had to feel that lust, greed or hatred in some form for her to draw it out and augment its power.

With her…this champion, she hadn't expected to feel so much innocence and sympathy. Much different from pity, and harder for her to focus her energies on. Anthy could almost feel a ripple of shame each time that she linked her mind to Utena's. How vile an intrusion; how perverse to touch something as personal as a thought.

She didn't want to be Tenjou Utena's friend. Friends could betray and hurt as easily as your most bitter foe. They could drag you over the coals and complicate things. And in her case, complication just wouldn't do. There was a higher purpose that she lived through this squalid, imperfect world for.

With a sigh, Anthy crawled back into bed, ignoring the warmth of the sheets. Giving in to a whim, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating.

A part of Utena's vitality and calm drifted ever so slowly from her body, through the stillness of the room. It flowed in luminous, amber tendrils through the Rose Bride's lungs and into her bloodstream, soothing her spirit. She recognized with no small amount of sadness that this was as close as she could allow herself to get. It had been so long, maybe centuries since she had felt this sort of unease. Perhaps it would be enough to share the warmth of this beating heart, just for a moment.

In any case, it was enough for Anthy to get through the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4  
**

It was two days later, after breakfast, that Ruisu discovered the plain, white envelope under his door. It puzzled him, since it was the academy's custom to deliver student correspondence to only one place - an assigned mailbox in the main lobby of the dorms. He picked it up, wondering when it had been placed there; his roommate had gone to attend his own classes an hour ago and had ignored the note, or else missed it.

Turning the envelope over, his eyes widened to find it sealed with the official Ohtori Academy emblem and he quickly tore into its contents. The letter inside had been typed onto some sort of stationary with the same Ohtori design in the corners, and a blood red border tracing the outer edges. Like almost anything else in the school, it smelled somewhat like fresh rose petals. Ruisu shook his head. How predictable.

It read:

**Masamori Ruisu**,

This is to inform you that your request to temporarily replace Saionji Kyouichi as captain of Ohtori Academy's Kendo Club has been approved. You are free to organize the training schedule as you see fit, and accept all powers of responsibility that come with this position. If you or anyone in your group has any questions about this arrangement, please leave us a note with the secretary in the main office building.

We congratulate you and wish your group success in its efforts.

Sincerely,

**Kiryuu Nanami,**

**Acting President of Ohtori Academy Student Council  
**

It looked as though some rumors at least were true. Well, so what if it was Touga's little sister passing on the good news? He was also, in effect, the acting chief now. If Nanami was up to handling her duties on the council then he had to be just as prepared to deal with his own role, and give the girl the credit she was due.

After contemplating the situation, Ruisu tossed the letter onto his desk and proceeded to get dressed for class. Briefly running a comb through his hair, he picked up his schoolbooks and ran out the door, hoping to get to class a bit early.

* * *

News of any kind tended to travel fast at Ohtori. If there was one place guaranteed to get it rolling, it was the notice board just outside of the student dining hall. Its main purpose was to provide information about part-time jobs, peer tutors and club bulletins, but imaginative minds never failed to create some new bit of gossip from anything available to them. It gave people something to do during the duller periods of scholastic pursuit.

As usual, there was a small crowd surrounding the wall, trying to get a look at a small, printed notice tacked neatly in the center. Somewhere in the distance, the bell chimed for classes to begin, and the students standing around began to depart in chattering groups, allowing a new cluster of students to gather. Among them was Utena, who strolled through the hall listening to remarks here and there.

"Did you hear about the guy replacing Saionji-sama?" said a girl. "Who does he think he is?"

"It won't last," a boy replied with a dismissive tone. "Let's see how well they do without the real captain. I think I'll get a laugh and catch his practice tonight with the team."

As curious as she was to learn the identity of the student everybody was talking about, lunch was a priority. These days, Utena didn't just turn down a good meal. Living with the Rose Bride did that to you.

Upon entering the dining hall, she noticed Wakaba sitting at their favorite table with a slightly sour look on her face. Her eyes were focused on a small, black notebook - some kind of day planner, maybe - and her hand was idly turning the pages. Whatever she was doing, she seemed a million miles away from her eagerly cheerful self.

"Hey, Wakaba," she greeted her. "Why aren't you eating anything?"

Big brown eyes slowly looked up. "Hi, Utena. I was just waiting for you."

Utena raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem to be expecting me, or anyone else." She playfully moved to grab the notebook for closer inspection. "Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, don't bother with that," Wakaba scolded, quickly shutting it and placing a protective hand on top. "I'm just managing my budget for the month."

"Managing your budget?" Utena asked with concern. "Did your parents forget to send you the usual allowance? I know things have been rough for your Dad lately…"

"It's not that. Mom and Dad are doing fine right now...I just used a little more than I expected. I didn't plan ahead too well."

Utena gave her an understanding smile. "It happens. You know, I have a little extra saved up if you're short on something. I'm sure Aunt Yurika wouldn't mind my using it."

Wakaba sat upright suddenly, jutting out her chin a little. "No, Utena. I'll be OK. I'm just trying to keep track of the numbers."

"Well, if you're sure..."

Thinking of a way to change the subject, Utena took her cue from the people chatting at the tables around them. "I guess you've heard about the Student Council electing a new captain for the Kendo Club…"

"Masamori Ruisu," Wakaba stated with authority. She crossed her arms in front of her on the table and rested her chin on them. "He's NOT the new captain - just a temporary solution until Saionji-sama is allowed to return to school."

"Masamori," Utena repeated with curiosity. "I met him last night, just before I got back to the dorm. Kind of built, blonde..."

"Yeah," Wakaba replied, with a clear attempt at indifference. "One of Saionji-sama's regular students. Fourth in the country at his sport."

"Not bad," Utena said, nodding with approval. "So why do I get the feeling you don't like him much?"

"What's not to like?" Wakaba frowned. "He's a nice guy, knows what he's doing in a match. I'm sure Saionji-sama would have picked him, if he'd been consulted…"

Utena grinned. "So that's what it is. You think he doesn't deserve the position because he wasn't handpicked by Saionji."

"I'm not the only one."

"Apparently not," Utena said, looking around.

"Everyone here knows that the Kendo Club should only be headed by a strong captain. The team was scheduled for a meet next month, way before the council expelled him." Wakaba threw her hands up in exasperation. "I'm not sure how Masamori-san will take this kind of responsibility, but I hope he remembers he's just filling in. For now."

"I know," Utena said with a chuckle. "Why don't we both get some food before our break is over? I don't want to take the chance that I'll run into that teacher again and be late for math."

Wakaba giggled. "What's her problem, anyway? Someone as cool as you deserves to wear different clothes. You're just too dashing for words!" she added, with a mock swoon.

"Yeah, thanks." Utena lightly swatted her arm. "C'mon, Madame President."

"President?"

"Of the Saionji fan club," Utena replied, rolling her eyes.

Wakaba blushed. "Right." She slowly rose from her chair. "Hey, Utena?"

"Hmmm?"

Wakaba looked like she still had something on her mind, but quickly shrugged it off. "Thanks for the offer, earlier."

"Not a problem."

* * *

He shifted his weight to his right foot, nearly feeling the metal tip of the _shinai_ as it missed connecting with his head by a couple of inches. His muscles were tense, but one with his mind as it tried to anticipate a counter move faster than that of his opponent. He was thankful that the young man he was dueling made clean, straight strokes; they challenged his hold on the weapon and kept him from executing his own thrusts with too much of an angle or arc. He was careful of his footwork, and observed that his teammate seemed to glide over the floor in the steadiness of his own rhythm.

Ruisu was able to break free of the continuous dance by swinging upward, as if to try the difficult score on the throat-guard. His opponent found the blow lacking power and an easy deflect. He was correct, except that his proxy captain quickly drew back his _shinai_ to deliver a true strike at the wrist of his left gauntlet.

Point.

That ended the match. Breathing hard, both young men returned to their starting positions and bowed to each other. Ruisu could hear a light burst of applause from somewhere outside the doorway of the dojo, but the grill on his headgear did not allow much of a view on either side of him. It didn't really matter, as he was determined to keep facing the starting mark of his opponents. It would project a sort of indifference and strength to his teammates, so they all could see his seriousness in the practice and stay focused themselves.

"Good," he said to his latest adversary. "Very good. Keep your footwork and posture as clean and balanced as you have them now. Next time, don't make assumptions about the force of the next blow. Keep your eyes on my posture, and the position of my hands on the _shinai_. I could surprise you by aiming for an unexpected, less tactical place."

His opponent nodded and walked away to join the seated group, chatting amongst themselves on the other side of the room.

"Next!"

There were still a few minutes of practice left, after all. Ruisu bowed to the young woman who had just joined him on the floor and assumed the _Sonkyo_, the ready stance.

* * *

"I wanna learn to do that," the young boy said, with more than a hint of admiration.

"I think you should stick to safer things, Mitsuru-kun," the girl next to him tauntingly replied. "Like baseball or track."

"Aww, Mari-chan. You can be so bad for a guy's ego sometimes."

On Mitsuru's other side, Utena leaned against the doorway and chuckled, keeping her eyes on the match playing out in front of her. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Tsuwabuki-kun. I don't think kids your age are allowed to participate anyway. Perhaps after you've got enough money to buy the equipment…"

"Or can beg it off of your parents…" Mari giggled.

Nanami's young henchman of sorts merely glared at her, but thought the argument unimportant enough to stay distracted from the practice. "I don't care what the others say. This guy's just as good as Saionji-san. Maybe better."

"I don't know much about this sport," Utena admitted. "But I've seen Jury-sempai in practice enough times to know what control is. Judging by the people Masamori-san has beaten tonight, he's got enough of it."

The duel champion marveled at how fast Ruisu and his classmates were moving. The shiny, black armor didn't seem to slow them down one bit, and the long skirts completing the uniform made it nearly impossible to see the position of their feet. It all looked very precise and safe, since the blows that each side was receiving didn't seem to be a major cause for concern. Perhaps all of that padding made it that much easier to have free movement, plus a good workout. It was much different from the short bout she had witnessed between Touga and Saionji. The discipline and lack of obvious dramatics made the sport seem pretty elegant.

A couple of matches later, the practice was coming to an end and the students seated away from the action began to collect their belongings. The people standing by the doorway took that as their cue to get out of the way, so the team could exit and head to their dorm rooms for a much-deserved rest.

Ruisu reached up behind his neck to untie his facemask and slowly slid it off. The towel he had wrapped around his head was soaked with sweat, and he wore an obvious look of relief as he scratched and ruffled his white-blonde hair.

"That was cool, Masamori-san," Utena remarked, entering the room. "With the impression you're leaving on the school so far, I think Saionji-sempai would do well to practice his own skills."

Ruisu chuckled and waved a dismissive hand at her, but she could see his brown eyes light up with pride. "I'm only a replacement, Tenjou-san, but thank you. Saoinji-san was very prone to warming up and going over technical details on his own, but I think that every time we practice as a group, we all improve significantly. Kendo has a wonderful way of developing self-discipline and humility. Our captain has taught me plenty about that over the years."

They laughed, and Ruisu smiled at the rose-haired girl. "Why don't you give it a try sometime? I think you'd enjoy it a lot. If you want, I can even schedule a time for us to duel with the dojo to ourselves."

"I'll think about it, Masamori-san. I've only had a little bit of practice, and that was a long time ago. You know how it is - school, sports and stuff. It would be nice to improve, but you should probably use your time to get ready for the Kyoto meet."

"Believe me Tenjou-san, it would be my pleasure to show you the ropes. And call me Ruisu."

"Only if you call me Utena," she said with a grin.

Abruptly, someone stood in the light of the doorway, casting a shadow over Ruisu's form. "Hello," he greeted the newcomer. "I'm afraid our practice is over for the day."

Utena turned to find Anthy standing there with a cheery smile on her face, and her hands clasped primly in front of her. "Oh, it's you, Himemiya. Ruisu-san, this is my roommate, Himemiya Anthy."

"Masamori Ruisu," he said, giving her friend a warm smile and bowing slightly. "Pleased to meet you."

Anthy bowed, then looked to Utena. "I didn't mean to disturb the two of you. I just wanted to know if Chuchu and I would be waiting on you for dinner."

"I was on my way home just now to get it started. Hang on a sec, I'll be right with you."

"That's alright. I'll just wait out here."

So saying, the Rose Bride smiled once more at Ruisu and walked out of the room. The sun was beginning to set, and the rose-haired duelist watched the sky turn red and yellow with bemusement.

"She seems shy," he remarked. "Are you two really the only ones living in East Hall?"

"Yeah," Utena said with a sigh. She lazily scratched the back of her neck. "It's pretty quiet most of the time, but I guess the Council likes the arrangement."

"I can't imagine what that's like. My dorm is always crowded at anytime of the day. It can get a little hectic in the evenings, so I come out here sometimes to put in some practice. It helps me clear my mind."

"What's that?" Utena asked, noticing something small and shiny sitting on a blue handkerchief by the sword racks.

Ruisu turned to look where she was pointing. "Ah, that's my good luck charm. It's a _hakata_ doll."

"May I hold it a second?"

"Uhh…sure. Go ahead."

Kneeling down, Utena carefully laid the small ceramic figure in the palm of her hand. It was in the form of a Kendo fighter striking out, complete with miniature blue-black armor and a tiny _shinai_. Its colors were luminous and polished, but the paint blurred a few of the details in some places and thickened them out in others.

"I got that as a gift years ago," Ruisu said, gently taking the doll into his own hands. "It's kind of…special to me."

His gaze drifted momentarily, and his shoulders slumped. Utena watched, wondering about the sudden change.

"Look," he continued. "If you stare into its mask, here, you can see tiny brown eyes peering out at you."

The duel champion's own eyes narrowed, as she stared at the spot Ruisu was pointing at. "Really?"

Her companion chuckled. "No."

Utena smirked as Ruisu deftly wrapped the figure up in its handkerchief and tucked it under his arm. Not knowing what else to talk about, Utena looked out past the doorway, knowing Anthy was still waiting for her.

"I'd better go and let you get cleaned up."

"Okay. I'm glad you had time to watch us work today. It's good for the team to feel that their fellow students are aware of their development."

"Hey, it was fun. You guys are gonna draw quite a crowd of supporters when the time comes to go to the tournament." Especially since they were going to be there for the whole team, and not just the star attraction, in more ways than one.

"Well, I'll be seeing ya." She waved back at him. "Goodnight, Ruisu-san."

"See you around, Utena-san."

* * *

The evening meal had been quite good. In almost no time at all, Utena had quickly whipped up a small pot of _yosenabe_ with the frozen shrimp, chicken and spinach that they'd been able to procure from the school kitchen. So much the better: In all of the years that she could remember being the Rose Bride, Anthy had never gotten around to mastering cooking.

Content and somewhat at peace, she found herself with arms outstretched on either side of her, sitting with Utena on the soft rise of grass by Ohtori's main entrance. Chuchu had stayed at the dorm, preferring to watch some sort of nature documentary on their small television set, so they were alone on the grounds.

Alone? She knew better than that.

The open air carried a plethora of voices along with the rustle of the trees and the calls of insects. One voice that rang deep and clear in her head, and others that ever circled her, ever shouted their hate and murderous intent. She could almost feel the gentle breeze whip and slash all around as they got closer…

"Hey," said a familiar voice.

Anthy looked to the right at Utena, who was now lying on her back, eyes to the heavens.

"You can't properly take in the view sitting up."

Anthy smiled and obligingly pulled back, feeling the cold, tough earth press up against her spine.

"I'll bet you've seen them all closer than this," her companion waved a hand upward, "thanks to Akio's telescope."

The Rose Bride closed her eyes. "Some of them, yes."

"That's something I never had time to do as a kid. Too busy climbing trees and making a mess of myself. Being out at night scared me, you know? It made me think about my parents sometimes. About how much I missed them."

Utena paused for a moment. "What were you like as a kid?"

"I can't say I remember."

"Not at all?"

"It was a long time ago, Utena-sama."

"So…I guess you never looked up at the stars much either. With Akio or your parents."

Anthy opened her eyes. "I never shared my brother's enthusiasm for them. He says they burn eternal, millions of miles away from the world. But at that great a distance they seem as cold as anything else."

So cold. The night sky with its wide, open mouth lay at the ready, waiting to swallow her whole. If it would only do so, all would be right.

She wasn't aware of the hand that reached out for her own until thin, warm fingers entwined with hers. It surprised her not to see it coming, but she could hear Utena wishing (as she often did), for something she could do. Some way she could understand. It was a wish that could never be granted.

Still, their eyes met like dozens of times before. Here the darkness was a blessing, as it would hide anything she didn't want Utena to see. Anything she wanted to feel. She had no trouble fighting the tears that wanted to bleed from within her heart, but she couldn't keep from tightening her grip on the duel champion's hand, just a little.

Feeling a slight tug on her arm, she let go of Utena's hand and scooted the few inches between them to be right next to her. Before she could think about it too much, she found herself curling an arm around the other girl's waist. She then laid her head on the duel champion's shoulder and closed her eyes once more.

"I'm sorry," Utena said in a low voice. "It looked like you needed this."

She nearly sighed in gratitude. "You know best, Utena-sama."

"Do you feel like going home?"

"Is that what you want?"

She could feel Utena's nervous chuckle. "No."

"Then let's stay a little longer."

Anthy didn't care if he was watching. It would only be part of the greater plan to him, as everything else was. Utena's arms held her so protectively that she wholeheartedly wished that she could remember that childhood long gone. She wanted so much to share just one memory of it with her friend.

Her friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The sun had long since set when Ruisu found himself in front of the door to his room. He paused in front of it to drop his big, gray gym bag on the floor and look for the key, somewhere in the pockets of the light brown slacks he was wearing. Not finding it immediately, he allowed himself a moment of panic, wondering whether he'd dropped the key somewhere on the grounds or in the showers.

He let out a low whistle of relief as his hand closed around smooth, cold metal. If he had lost yet another copy of it, the South Hall R.A. would have called him all sorts of new nicknames for bothering him at this hour - something that could have occasionally been avoided if his roommate, Mineo, were ever home by curfew. Closing the door behind him, Ruisu set the gym bag on his desk and, with a yawn gave in to a delicious stretch. The training session had been a complete success and he was more than ready to enjoy the reward of a good night's sleep coming to him.

His head jerked up slightly as he noticed that there was someone else in the room, sitting in the dark. There was a barely discernible shadow, draped in a languid fashion over the back of the chair closest to the window, at his roommate's desk. The sound of slow, steady breaths suddenly made itself apparent to the Kendo captain's ears.

"So you're home after all, Mineo-san," Ruisu muttered, slightly annoyed. He shuffled over to a spot on the wall, feeling for the light switch. The old chandelier hanging from the ceiling instantly filled the room with light, and the young man turned with the intention of waking up his friend.

Except that the man sitting in Mineo's chair was not Mineo himself.

The stranger's head was tilted back and facing the ceiling, though his eyes remained shut, with a relaxed sort of smile gracing his lips. He was fairly thin, dressed in an Ohtori uniform Ruisu had never seen before, a dark blue shirt with white pants. His hair was a very pale pink, instantly reminding Ruisu of Utena. He was consciously aware of the smile that this brought to his face before it quickly disappeared.

He asked the most obvious questions first. "Who are you? What are you doing in my room?"

"I came to speak to you, Masamori-san." The man's voice was very smooth and pleasant. "Your roommate was kind enough to invite me in and allow me to wait for you here."

The fellow's eyelids snapped open as he turned to look at his host. Ruisu found himself feeling startled by the stranger's eyes, and the manner in which they regarded him. Brown and ordinary like his own, but in this case it was a color that burned with something calculating and dark. There was no dullness to those eyes.

Deciding to avoid jumping to conclusions, Ruisu tried again to address his visitor. "I can see you know my name, but you haven't told me who you are."

Standing up slowly and proudly, the man offered a thin, white hand to the Kendo captain. "I'm Mikage Souji."

"Of the Mikage Seminar," Ruisu added thoughtfully, taking Mikage's hand with a firm grip. "If your organization wanted me for something, you could have contacted me at an earlier hour - one more to your convenience and mine."

Mikage continued to smile. It was a little unnerving. "I thought it best to simply pop in and spare you the wait and appointment scheduling. We can get quite busy sometimes with the work we do on campus."

Ruisu nodded, though he still felt very perplexed as he sat on the bottom bunk bed, motioning with a hand for Mikage to take the seat he had previously occupied. Now straddling the chair, Mikage crossed his arms over the frame and rested his chin on them.

"You're wondering about the things the Seminar is charged to do," he said. "We are the makers of great men and women: Politicians, Lawyers - professionals. While our contribution is actually very minimal when compared to the talents of our applicants, we can be useful as guides to a brilliant career and a more than adequate future. Only the best are approached and taken under our wing to begin that journey of greatness."

Ruisu had to smile at that. "If I understand this then, you want me to apply. To become a member of this Seminar." He looked hard at Mikage, but found his eyes shifting elsewhere, anywhere. "But as you said, the qualifications are pretty high. While I might have the right grade average, I couldn't contribute much to your organization. I'm very weighed down by my current responsibilities, and can't spare much time for too many things as it is."

"Ah, but we can help with that problem as well," Mikage said in a low, confident voice. "Once we get you started, you'll have no trouble finding time to do anything. And isn't it worth sacrificing a little anyway, to get what you want? To make your way in this world?"

"I agree that it's worth some sacrifice and extra work for some things. But I'm pretty satisfied with the way things are going lately. Nothing is easy, but I've got a handle on what I need to be doing right now." Ruisu's eyes flickered back to Mikage with an apologetic look. "I thank you for considering me worthy of the Seminar, but I think it's beyond my abilities."

"Well, then…" Mikage said, as he stood up. " I guess I'm merely keeping you awake, Masamori-san."

With a few quick, shuffling steps, he was standing in front of Ruisu. "I can't say I'm not disappointed. I had thought to offer this position to Saionji-san, prior to his expulsion, but I see what a slip in judgment that would have been. Still, I believe I was right in guessing that the two of you are very similar men..."

He moved to squeeze Ruisu's left shoulder, reddening the skin exposed by his white muscle shirt, and leaned in very close to Ruisu's ear. Startled by the proximity, the Kendo captain fought off an angry instinct to push him away.

"Yes, quite alike in your ambitions and desires. I can help you realize them...to prove to yourself that you live in no one's shadow."

Ruisu's could feel his pulse stick tightly in his throat. His eyes narrowed, and a combination of shock and fury coursed through him. What could this man know?

"I'll be on my way out, now," Mikage said, pivoting on his heel to walk towards the door. "If you should ever change your mind, have someone point out my office to you." He turned briefly to give Ruisu a last knowing smile. "My services are always at your disposal."

It wasn't until several minutes after the door had shut that Ruisu realized he would have said nothing to stave off Mikage's comments. He could hardly form the words to express his confusion and indignation. His knuckles tightened and relaxed intermittently until he could calm down enough to think. He was better off not running after this guy tonight.

He quietly undressed, choosing a pair of black cotton shorts to spend the night in. Hopping unceremoniously into bed, he drew the sheets over his legs but remained sitting. Before he allowed his head to hit the pillow he had to satisfy the guilt.

Reaching over to his right, and to the wooden dresser by the window, he opened the middle drawer and pulled out a small color photo encased in a mahogany frame. The man in the picture was only a few years older than himself, with white-blonde hair like Ruisu's, only his was combed straight back behind his head. His green eyes seemed to smile brightly at the Kendo captain, with just a hint of cocky reassurance.

"Right," Ruisu muttered, as he tossed the picture back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

* * *

Her eyelids were drooping. Shutting. Shut. Then flying open again as she picked herself up from a relatively cozy position on her desk. Groaning slightly, Utena rubbed her eyeballs firmly with both fists and sighed.

It had been pretty late last night when she had awakened to find Anthy tucking her into bed. She hadn't even been aware of getting up from the school grounds and walking all the way to the dorm, which meant that she must have really been out cold. The duelist had barely become aware of her surroundings when she had drifted off again, feeling a lot warmer now that she was inside her own room. The scent of roses was drifting all around, and the last thing she heard was Anthy's voice gently asking to her to go back to sleep.

Not that any of it had helped much. She felt groggy and sore, probably from having had her back pressed against tightly packed earth for most of the night. Looking over at Himemiya's desk, she wondered if her companion had slept at all herself.

The professor was writing notes on the blackboard on some ancient folk legends. Particularly on the story of two peasants, Mosaku and Minokichi, and their encounter with a snow spirit one frozen winter. Utena was trying very hard to pay attention, but she could recall very little about the subject they were discussing. Perhaps she could ask Anthy or Wakaba about it later.

From the looks of things, the Rose Bride was busily scribbling things down, with eyes focused up front. Utena was glad to see her making a serious attempt to keep up in class, despite the number of interruptions they often had to deal with.

She had seemed so far away last night. So lonely...

She deftly looked over her shoulder at Wakaba, who seemed to be engrossed in her textbook and following the lesson closely. Her friend felt someone's eyes on her and looked up. With a grin, she lifted her book a bit to reveal an issue of the "Lilac Serenade" manga underneath. Utena shook her head. So much for scholastic pursuits.

"Tenjou-san!"

Utena jerked up in surprise and quickly turned around, offering the professor a sheepish smile. Her classmates giggled.

"Pay attention please, we have a lot of material to cover today."

"Yes, sir."

"As I was saying..." he turned to face the board again.

Utena let out a breath and picked up her pen to try and catch up with the class. Her eyes moved to Anthy's desk again - only this time the girl was looking at her with what seemed like a sympathetic smile.

Utena returned it weakly and, feeling her face begin to get strangely warm, turned her focus to her notebook and the empty page before her.

Once classes were over, Utena and Anthy headed over to the Rose Garden for the afternoon. The sun was bright, and the weather warm but cozy, as Utena sat back in a chair to watch Himemiya at her work. Watering can in hand, she was calmly giving her plants their due attention. The smell of damp soil and fresh flowers filled the duel champion's senses, lulling and tempting her to seek the rest she had missed out on the night before.

For some reason though, she felt guilty. She didn't want to fall asleep and leave her friend alone. Whenever they were here, each stayed in their own corner, their own place. Utena would read a book or occupy her thoughts with a list of things that needed doing for class, and Anthy would never interrupt, never say a word or start a conversation. This whole business of their being engaged left little room for comfortable talks, so they barely knew anything about each other beyond the duels.

"Himemiya…" She paused, furiously thinking of something to say. "Have you ever thought about what you'd like to do after you finish school?"

"Oh, that's a long way off," Anthy replied, not turning. "I have plenty of things to do until then."

"Yeah, but it's something to think about. Just look around you...I think you'd make a great botanist or something. That way you could spend the rest of your life doing something you love."

"Hmm."

"What?" Utena asked, curious about Anthy's contemplative tone.

"Does that mean you want me to become a botanist?"

"Huh? No! I mean, only if that's what you want to do. Sheesh..." Utena looked hard at her friend, though she couldn't see her expression as yet. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

Anthy turned and looked at her with just a hint of a smile. Utena chuckled and stood up, seeing it grow brighter.

"I'm glad to see you catching on...we'll have you be a hit at parties yet."

Anthy looked down at her watering can. "I think that can wait awhile too, Utena-sama. Until I'm more comfortable with people."

"It was just a joke, Himemiya." Utena shuffled over to stand by Anthy and pretended to look at the particular set of roses she was watering. She rested her hands on the thin, wooden fencing that kept the plants from growing outside of their designated spot. "Remember, you can do anything you want to. And you'll learn to be more comfortable with people if you just give them a chance."

"You always say that," Anthy observed quietly.

"I also always ask you to...I wish, you'd call me Utena. Just Utena."

Anthy looked like she wanted to say something but didn't.

"If only," Utena said, steadying herself, "you could forget the roles you think we're expected to play…in this game the Council's involved in. Maybe then you'd be comfortable with me and our friendship."

"But I am comfortable with you, Utena-sama." Anthy said, placed a reassuring hand on Utena's left wrist.

Utena looked up at Anthy, caught by her serious eyes. If she had been a poet, she might have ventured to say that the color of Anthy's eyes seemed greener and richer than any orchid or shrub that grew in this garden, or any other. They had the uncanny ability to fill her with peace from head to her toe. She gently turned the hand Anthy rested hers on palm up, to capture it. She hoped she wasn't staring, and that Himemiya couldn't hear how fast…

"Well, here I was trying to make you feel better about things and you've completely turned that around," she laughed. "See? You are getting better with people."

Anthy smiled. "It hardly counts with only one other person around, Utena-sama."

"It counts, Himemiya," Utena replied, eyes twinkling. "Believe me."

She suddenly had to find something to do. "Can I help you with anything here?" the duelist asked, looking around. "You always seem to take care of all this by yourself..."

Anthy looked thoughtful for a moment, than held out the copper watering can. "Could you fill this up again for me? I still have the other half of the garden to water."

"OK," Utena said, letting go of Anthy's hand and taking the offered jug. "I'll be right back." She took off at a run, smiling to herself as she left.

Anthy watched her go, then turned her attention to the white, Moonstone roses growing to her right. Their buds had opened up quite nicely overnight, and she couldn't help but finger their soft, new petals with pride.

Utena was right. They did make her feel a joy and strength within herself, unequal to other facets of her existence. An irony since one could say that, like the roses, she was under the command and protection of another at all times. It was the way of things, yet she couldn't fight this smile; more genuine with each time it came and more frequent in its arrival.

Utena. It was all right to call her that in her own mind, where no one else could hear it.

She didn't realize she had pricked her hand until she looked down and saw her ring finger bleeding a little. She had left a trail of blood droplets on the rose she had been studying.

She suddenly felt like running away…like she needed a dark corner to huddle in and cry. What was she doing? What had she already done?

Putting those thoughts away for another time, she brought her finger to her lips and sucked at the wound. Abruptly, Chuchu popped up from one of the wide, white flowerpots with a tiny brown bottle of rubbing alcohol and a bandage.

"Just what I needed. Thank you, Chuchu."

"Chu!"

The moment she took his gift in hand, the rascal scampered off with no ceremony. That seemed to be happening a lot more often too, the more time she spent with the duel champion. With Utena.

* * *

"Tenjou-sempai, pretending you're asleep won't get you of this."

"I know, Miki-kun. But there's no harm in trying."

Anthy knew that Utena was only being difficult to keep their study session from getting too boring. Miki simply shook his head in amusement, and waited patiently for the two girls to finish up the problem they were working on. Anthy was already done, but she made a concentrated effort to jot a few more numbers down until Utena finally let go of her pencil…and eraser.

"Aargh, I'm almost got it," the duel champion reassured them, wiping eraser bits off the table. "Just one more variable to factor in, and…aha!"

She turned her notebook around and handed it to Miki. A quick glance and it was apparent that she had succeeded.

"Great! You're free to go," he said with a smirk.

"Alright!" Utena pumped a fist back in glee. "No more math tonight!"

"Yeah, yeah. How about you, Himemiya-san?"

"I'm finished. Here you are."

She handed him her homework, their fingers brushing slightly. She could feel his blush without actually seeing it, as she turned her head discreetly away to see what Utena was doing.

"Yup, you've got it too," she heard Miki say. "Keep this up and you won't be needing me to help you anymore." Anthy didn't have to tune in at all to hear a slight drop in his tone.

"I don't think so Miki-kun," Utena said, already in the middle of some arm-and-waist stretches. "You'll always have a client where I'm concerned - I can be pretty hopeless sometimes. And besides…" she said, pausing to touch her toes and speaking from behind a flood of bubble-gum pink hair, "I think Himemiya would rather practice the piano with someone who can actually play in tune."

"Chu!" agreed the little monkey-mouse. He could only stare incredulously as Utena waggled her fingers in the air, clearly imitating Miki's as they danced over invisible ivory keys.

The young man laughed. "Then I take it I'll see you for practice Saturday afternoon, Himemiya-san?"

"That's right," Anthy said, then bowed. "Thank you for helping us with the homework, Miki-san."

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Utena added with a grateful tone. She quickly dropped down to work on some push-ups.

"It was my pleasure," Miki said, looking at his watch. "And that's my cue to get going. I've got to get to a late Council meeting before I even see my bed. Take care, you two."

"Bye!" both girls called after him as he grabbed his books and let himself out.

"Time for bed already," Utena sighed, as she finished her reps and stood up. "I'm glad I don't have to be at some boring student council meeting, though."

"Judging from the things that happen directly after the council convenes," Anthy said, allowing a hint of sarcasm to creep in, "I would have to say that they're not all that boring, Utena-sama."

"You're probably right," Utena agreed, removing the jacket of her uniform and hanging it up in the closet. She scratched her left shoulder, then stretched her whole body out.

She had an athletic but decidedly feminine shape to her, which Anthy was hard-pressed not to pay attention to. It was with wonder and puzzlement that she would sometimes catch herself staring, especially since she rarely paid attention to that sort of thing anymore.

She had long realized that something unusual was happening. She couldn't make herself feel the usual detachment from this duel champion that she had easily conjured up with others. There was this glow that Utena couldn't help but inspire in the people around her. The Rose Bride felt it whenever they approached or spoke to her friend. She could feel it in herself. Only one or two other souls had ever made her feel so flustered, and that was far buried in the past.

"Chuchu, give me back that apple!"

Utena's voice interrupted her thoughts. "C'mon, Chuchu, give it here! I was saving that for a bedtime snack!"

The little monkey-mouse clutched the bright, red fruit tightly in his paws, wearing the most piteous, quivering frown on his face. His eyes were double their usual size, and there was a dewy look to them that suggested a torrent of tears could emerge at any moment.

"Oh, alright!" Utena said, throwing up her hands in defeat. An accomplishment, Anthy noted, not easily achieved.

Chuchu looked visibly relieved and even let a cheeky smile replace his sorrowful expression, as he stuffed the apple in his mouth, swallowing it whole. The withering look that the duel champion gave him just then almost made Anthy laugh out loud.

"…Wasn't that hungry anyway," Utena muttered. So saying, she stripped to her underwear, removed her bra and slipped into her blue pajamas.

It happened so quickly that Anthy just blinked, then removed her glasses to wipe the lenses off a bit. "I think I'll go take a shower, Utena-sama. Will you be having yours in the morning?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired. Here." Utena opened up the middle drawer of their dresser and tossed her a light green towel.

"Thanks. I'll finish quickly so we can lock up."

"Take your time. I think I'm going to bring out the TV and see what I can get on it."

Not too long after that, Anthy was back inside their room, dressed in her pale blue nightgown and cap, turning the lock. The lights were off, though she could see that Utena was sitting with her back against the bottom bunk, legs splayed out in front of her. She had moved the table back, and her head had drooped onto her right shoulder in sleep.

Anthy turned off the noisy game show on TV, kneeled in front of her roommate and gently took hold of her shoulders to bring her forward a bit.

"Mmm…what?" Utena mumbled.

"You should go to bed, Utena-sama. You'll be a lot more comfortable."

"Second time… in a row that you've had to drag me there." Utena gave her a sleepy smile.

"Yes, and it's my fault you're so tired tonight. I should have woken you up and gotten us home sooner."

"Did you fall asleep on the grounds last night?"

"What?"

Utena yawned. "You fell asleep too, didn't you? It can't be your fault, then. We must have been comfortable enough."

Anthy felt sheepish; she had fallen asleep. She hadn't been out nearly as long as Utena, but she had certainly felt safe enough to take a short nap. "I guess we were," she said. "But now you should sleep in your bed. You'll feel a lot better tomorrow."

"Okay."

Anthy stepped back as Utena slowly stood up. They looked at each other for a moment, and it seemed to Anthy that, no matter the time or place, the duelist's light, blue eyes never dulled in their brightness, never sparkled any less. One pale cheek had reddened from its awkward resting place on the girl's shoulder. Utena's milky skin and long eyelashes seemed enhanced in their elegance, even with the barest amount of light coming into the room.

"Do you want me to close the curtains?" Utena asked, awkwardly breaking the silence.

Anthy closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, that's alright. I like sleeping in view of the moonlight. I have for years."

Utena smiled. "You know something? I like it too."

She didn't know how long they stood there before saying their goodnights, but Anthy could feel some kind of change taking place. Right here, this night.

Things were happening too fast, she realized. Whether she wanted them to, or not.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6  
**

The humid air clung to the back of her top, the bright sunshine threatening to burn a hole right through her skull to her brain. It was at times like this that she wished that the most awesome game of basketball had inspired some kind of mandatory headgear as part of the uniform. But then, it wouldn't look as cool - neither the ensemble nor her dedicated play.

She was practicing alone today after classes, which was a rarity. Utena generally found it counterproductive not to have opponents to pit herself against, but even she liked to take in the quiet pleasure of focusing solely on her shots at the basket, uninterrupted by other elements. The sound of the ball as it squealed against the concrete, and the way that it slammed against the backboard made for quite a satisfying backdrop to any afternoon.

On one bounce that failed to deliver a perfect three-pointer, Utena let a frustrated puff of air escape her lips. She recognized that she was just starting to feel tired, and she knew that it would be immature to pout over one lousy shot, but she couldn't help feeling annoyed with herself.

"Oi, Utena-san!"

The rose-haired duelist turned around quickly, not recognizing the voice calling out. As the figure approached with an easy gait and a wave, she realized that it was the guy she had met the other day - that new Kendo captain.

"Hey…Ruisu-san. Almost didn't recognize you without your _gi_."

His amiable smile seemed a bit bashful now, as he quickly stuck his hands in the pockets of his khakis and looked around the court. "I was actually thinking of going out into town for a bit - practice with the team isn't 'til later on in the evening today. But since I spotted you here, I thought…well…" He turned brown eyes to her. "…I thought I'd come over and ask if you maybe wanted to try your hand out at kendo yourself, like we talked about that one day."

With a hand on her hips and the ball under her other arm, Utena sized him up briefly, then smirked. "Wouldn't you rather play a friendly game here with me? As you can see, I lack challengers today."

Grinning, Masamori held up a hand. "No way. I'm not a regular at this sport, but I've heard that you're a real demon."

Utena waved him off and turned once more to face the hoop, raising the basketball a bit in her hands as she studied the trajectory. "Well, you might just be in luck. Either most of my energy's been zapped already or I'm having an off day."

She proceeded to toss the ball firmly with a nice spin on it. While it didn't sink through the net with perfection and precision, it did knock against the backboard efficiently enough to drop in and score without ambiguity.

"Yeah," Ruisu mused. "I'm so not buying that."

Utena chuckled as he moved to fetch the ball from where it had ended up landing, to the left of the court. Shuffling back, he casually handed it to her and looked her straight in the eye. "C'mon, we'll play your game another day. I really get the impression that you could pick something else up no problem, so give me something fresh to work with. Whaddaya say?"

Utena sighed in a mostly playful way. "Alright, let me just get my stuff together here."

"Great!" Masamori suddenly looked quite a bit more jazzed up than when he had first shown up, which only made Utena feel lazier. Still, she smiled and shook her head in bemusement.

"I'll, uh, just go unlock the dojo and find some spare gear for you to wear." The boy apparently caught himself in mid-bow before turning to head for the place at a light jog.

"Something clean!" The duelist shouted after him, knowing the habits of school age sports team members everywhere.

"I'll do my best!" Ruisu shouted back, with a clear smirk in this tone.

It appeared that, if nothing else, Utena would see a slight variation on her usual afternoon routine. As she picked up her school jacket and water bottle from the grass she realized that she still had to stop by the rose garden to talk to Himemiya. Together with Chuchu, they were supposed to eat a light dinner at their favorite tree on the hill, but it seemed as though her introductory lesson to kendo might delay her arrival by that much. She would simply have to ask Anthy to wait for awhile.

Utena closed her eyes and leisurely scratched the back of her neck. "Sheesh. There just aren't enough hours in a day, are there? I guess I'd better head over there and let her know what's up, before it gets any later.

* * *

The sounds of her own breathing and movement seemed almost foreign in this overly quiet room. Stranger still was the feel of the outfit she was wearing, most especially the mask. But these initial pangs of fatigue were something entirely different. It had been awhile since Utena had tried a new sport, and though she knew enough to expect disconcertion, it always seemed to hit her hardest at the very beginning of the process. She was too used to knowing all the shortcuts and the extent of her combined skills, which in turn made it hard to fight against an ever-growing state of impatience, when faced with what this Masamori guy could do.

To be fair, he was going easy on her, batting away her clumsy lunging strikes this way and that. He was merely testing the water - checking out her reflexes and generally trying to make her feel comfortable with the weight of the outfit as well as the weapon in her hand. He was also, to a certain extent, always on the brink of showing off just a little bit more, throwing in some seemingly effortless, tight moves here and there, and slide-stepping with such confidence. He was simply in his element, and had it been Utena's, she was sure she would have performed likewise.

"Keep your back straight, and relax those shoulders," Ruisu was saying again. "Don't shift the weight in your feet so much. Remember, there should be an equal balance between them."

"Easy for you to say," Utena grumbled lightly. "You're like a machine. I don't know how these things don't make you want to jump out of your skin." She waved a gloved hand generally at the _hakama_ trousers and the _tare_, complete with the ubiquitous Ohtori emblem on its center flap. "It's like, not only do I have to get used to breathing differently, but the way I normally want to move doesn't work the same either."

Masamori smiled at her through his mask. "It's all in you head, Utena-san. There's no reason why you shouldn't have enough freedom to move in those. Maybe we should've spent a few more minutes on footwork drills…I usually insist that my underclassman dedicate more time to those. I just thought you might've been limber enough from your basketball practice already."

"It wasn't really 'formal' practice, per se," Utena drawled. "Just me hacking around an empty court for awhile. But I get what you're saying, I think." She visibly bounced on her toes a little, as if to shake off any existing stiffness in her joints. "I keep wanting to step, you know, STEP more out of the way, or leap to one side. You see that?"

Ruisu's boyish chuckle only added to the strangely informal feeling of this particular kendo session. "Yeah, I see it. I honestly think what you have to do is focus on fluidity. Quick movements are part of that, but it's more about pushing forward with grace as well as strength and speed."

"What, are you saying I'm not graceful?" Utena moved to playfully smack the left side of Masamori's face mask, only to have him sidestep the _shinai_ efficiently. So much so that Utena momentarily thought that she might pitch forward.

"Well…" her companion began, "I've only seen a little of what you can do today. Like I said before, I'm sure you could be really good at this, if you give it your all like you usually do."

"How do you even know I do that?" She taunted, even as she started to feel self-conscious for her slip.

"I hear what I hear. And even if I didn't, it's not like I haven't noticed that you have excellent form when you run. Or when you take a shot at the basket."

Utena expected him to say more but Ruisu turned swiftly away, taking a few steps towards a spot somewhere to her right. Raising the _shinai_ high above his head, he quickly brought his left foot forward and swung down, accompanying the force of his swing with a hearty "MEN!"

The girl sighed and decided to take his lead, turning in the same direction and emulating his practiced movements as best she could.

"MEN!"

Another hour drifted by consisting of some more drill work and the occasional, brief confrontation between the two. By the time Utena had begun to sweat in earnest, she was starting to feel a lot better about these sharp, if constrained kendo movements she was engaging in. Ruisu truly meant well with the advice he threw out at her from time to time, and she could see it taking effect in the near future, if she ever decided to pursue this further.

For now, she was ready to call it a night. Her appetite was more than a little encouraged and she could hear the beginnings of a patch of rain outside. It seemed as though she and Anthy would be having their dinner at home after all.

"I'm gonna get going now, Ruisu-san."

She called out to him from behind a brown, lacquered changing screen that he had thoughtfully provided her (given that this particular dojo was frequently a "guys only" space). The feeling of finally being able to loosen her hair from the confinement of both towel and headgear was indescribably good – she just knew that this was an aspect to the sport that she would probably never get used to.

"Yeah, you'd better," she heard him respond. "It looks like it could get a lot heavier out there, if you wait for it to."

After buttoning the last button on her jacket and dusting herself off, Utena picked up her book bag and walked over to stand before Ruisu, who was drying off his own white-blond hair despite having perspired noticeably less. She smiled at him and bowed with sincere respect.

"Thanks for putting up with me today. It was fun."

Ruisu seemed to start a little, but quickly returned the bow with his own. "Oh no, thank you for humoring me and giving it a shot. We should do this again sometime…if you want."

"Hey, no trying to recruit me just yet," she joked. "Wait 'til I catch up a little."

Just then, Utena heard the rumble of thunder outside. She moved to slide open the door of the dojo, making a sound between a sigh and a whine at the sight of the downpour that had begun.

"The sky was so clear earlier. And no umbrella with me either."

"You're out of luck today," Ruisu said with an apologetic expression. "There's almost always one or two left here by accident, but we recently insisted that our club members clear them out, so I don't have one to lend you."

"That's okay. I should be fine if I dash, right?" The girl turned back to the doorway, psyching herself up for the run. And she had just cooled down properly too!

She lifted the book bag to cover her head, hoping that her notes and materials wouldn't get too soaked.

Halfway to the dorm, it occurred to Utena that Anthy had probably not brought an umbrella with her either. She tried to recall whether there had been any predictions of rain on TV the night before, but she supposed that had this been the case, the other girl would have simply handed her one on the way out the door this morning. Or said something about the need to bring it.

The duelist paused under a nearby tree to take a breather. She didn't want to get soaked through and through, but all of the exercise of the day combined with an empty stomach was starting to take its toll. The backs of her knees were beginning to hurt, and it was beginning to get dark out, not that the weather was helping. Anthy and Chuchu were probably already tearing into the meal she had fixed for them the night before (which meant, when it came to the latter, that she was likely in danger of not getting her share).

A thought suddenly made her stop short. Her eyes widened and she shook her head as if trying to dispel the ridiculousness of it. Still, it gnawed at her guts enough that she firmly tucked her book bag under her arm and started to sprint away from her temporary shelter at double the speed that she had been running at so recently.

As the familiar hill came into view, she was both relieved and annoyed to see that there was nothing there to see. She slowed to a walk a few feet away from the large tree that stood there, bringing her bag back up to cover her head. As the excess water dripped from her hair and down her cheeks, she tried to catch her breath and chided herself for being so silly. She was the only person stupid enough to be out here in this mess, and if she stupidly got sick because of it she would be forced to wallow in that stupidity all through her recovery.

Just as she was about to turn away for home, she saw it. The corner of a red-and-white, checkered cloth of some sort, fluttering slightly behind the trunk of the tree. It seemed to move in a rush of wind that seemed to come from nowhere, yet still managed to leave a low whistling sound through wet leaves and branches. Sighing, Utena jogged over, finding what she had hoped she wouldn't.

There was Anthy, standing as close to the bark as she could without actually leaning on the tree. Regardless of its thick branches and the picnic blanket wrapped around her shoulders, the girl still looked as though she had gotten caught up in a substantial amount of rainfall. In her arms was her black, three-tiered bento of food, which was probably the only item between the two of them that was still dry, including her glasses.

"Utena-sama," Anthy began, smiling with what seemed like relief. "There you are!"

"Himemiya, what…what are you still doing here?" Utena tried her best to reign in her frustration and not get angry, but she was feeling pretty exasperated at the moment. "Didn't you know to go straight home when it started to pour like this? How could you just stand here with nothing to protect you, in the middle of a storm?"

Anthy didn't exactly seem hurt from the talking-to she was receiving, but she did look down at her shoes before replying. "You told me to wait here until you came back."

Utena let out a breath filled mostly with tiredness and ran a hand through her hair. "Come on - I didn't mean for you to wait here 'no matter what'." She started once or twice to further respond to whatever logic existed in Anthy's reasoning but found herself just wanting to let it go. She had expected something like this anyway, right? It was a little depressing, but what they both needed right now was simply to get out of the rain and have something warm to eat.

Coming fairly quickly to this conclusion, Utena gamely adopted a more comforting expression and tone. "Well, never mind that now. Let's just go home, Himemiya."

She waited for Anthy to fold up the picnic blanket somewhat so she could tuck it under her arm, then held out her hand for the other girl to take. As their eyes met again, Utena tugged firmly on her companion's arm and turned to lead the jog back to their dorm room.

* * *

Utena flicked on the light-switch and shut the door behind them, quickly turning to look for some extra towels. She fussed for a moment through the drawers, not able to remember exactly where Anthy had put them the last time that she had organized their things.

Giving up, she settled for undoing the buttons to her jacket at least. The fine, thick material in it had kept her from getting completely soaked from head to toe, but already she was starting to feel a bit cold in it. As she turned to see whether Anthy had been more successful at finding what she had been looking for, she was at once struck with the surprisingly stunning visual of Anthy's dark, dark skin, wet and luminous from the rain, as she stood barefoot in the middle of their room.

Utena knew that she should have been moving to fully change out of her clothes; Anthy was busy taking the pins out of her sodden bun of hair. It slowly undid itself as she carefully ran her thin fingers through it to evenly straighten and part the violet tresses. She then took off her glasses, apparently intending to wipe them off with the hem of her shirt before stopping short - surely realizing, at this point, that it would have been an entirely useless gesture.

It seemed to snap Utena out of her contemplative haze.

"Hang on a second, Himemiya." She reached for her own blue towel, still lying haphazardly on the wooden posts of her bunk. Draping it about Anthy's shoulders she started to help dry her hair, pausing to gently take her companion's glasses out of her grasp and place them on the nearest desk. In response, Anthy simply clasped her hands in front of her, looking steadily at Utena's face.

From time to time the taller girl's eyes would meet her companion's, but something about that brief connection made her feel somewhat uneasy. She cursed herself inwardly for somehow putting Himemiya's personal well-being at risk again, no matter that it had been entirely unintentional.

Some friend she was. Some friends they were.

She figured that there was no point in getting into it again or apologizing, so she simply focused on drying the breathtakingly long hair of the Rose Bride.

Possibly in response to the attention and care that she was receiving, Anthy closed her eyes and seemed to relax a little in the shoulders.

Now Utena found it hard not to gaze openly at the girl. Her guilt gave way a little to a sort of yearning, a feeling she could only comprehend as wanting to be closer to Anthy in some way, like through a warm embrace. She wondered if the other girl was really cold, though she didn't seem to be shivering. Himemiya's damp uniform clung snugly to her body in a way that was making Utena's breath catch, and her head feel warm and heavy for noticing. Her hands slowed at their task, then stilled, as the right one let go of the towel and lifted to comb through the still-damp locks before her.

Anthy's eyes opened at that moment, looking at her again. Their green gaze didn't register surprise but they did seem…softer. The dying light outside the window seemed to enhance the effect, and by extension the warmth that now sat in Utena's gut, despite her equally damp and still unattended to clothes. She fought against a natural instinct to break free of this sudden, remarkable intensity and look away, only to be distracted by an errant drop of water that trickled from Anthy's hairline, slowly tracing a path from her left temple to her chin.

With less conscious thought than she would have otherwise imagined, Utena found herself leaning forward to brush the water away from a dark cheek with her lips. It seemed like the thing to do, rather than to just let go of either the towel or Anthy's beautiful hair. There were more such droplets about her face, like the one that threatened to slide past the mark on Himemiya's brow and down her nose. So she deposited a small kiss there to stop it, absently confirming that the skin there did feel a bit cool. Still, Anthy remained motionless, looking at her with a calm, affectionate gaze.

It dawned on Utena that her heart was beating wildly and that she was leaving Anthy with hardly any personal space. Suddenly nervous and a little confused, she quickly let go of the other girl, dropping her hands to her sides and looking down at her own feet. She noticed that the damp, red socks she wore were now making them feel quite cold, thinking then that she should have left them with her shoes and soggy book bag at the entrance of East Hall. Anthy had been smart enough to do just that, as she stood there barefoot, the towel that Utena had dropped lying by her feet. The rainwater dripped quietly from their clothes and hair onto the carpet.

Firm but gentle hands brought her out of her musings, as they took hold of her cheeks and lifted her face back up. Utena blinked in surprise to find Anthy that much closer. Her eyes were slightly lidded and she could feel their breaths mingling just so. The scent of roses and something else equally heavy seemed to pervade her senses, making it impossible to step back or turn away. She only had enough time to notice how the tip of Anthy's nose seemed to slide past hers, out of her peripheral vision before she felt a softness touch her lips, and her own eyes shut.

Everything melted away. The damp chill of her clothes, the annoyance that her classes and the mysteries surrounding Ohtori represented...none of it mattered. Had they ever, really? Anthy's warm, supple lips seemed to know that only they two mattered here.

Utena felt herself flush. Perhaps it had always been this way, since long before she had learned to form memories.

She began to find her own response only when those lips left hers. Instantly, her hands reached up to find purchase at Anthy's thin arms, somewhere above her elbows. Utena briefly opened her eyes, leaning forward to find those waiting lips again, bringing back the connection. She started lightly and awkwardly, as if asking for permission, then simply added to the pressure, tracing and tasting her own way. The two soon found their rhythm, and the sound of their lips moving lightly together seemed louder than the rain. Utena's heartbeat louder than the crack of thunder outside. When she pulled away for air, she still found her lips magnetically drawn to other parts of Anthy's face, like the spot right by her mouth, and towards the pulse of her neck. She buried her nose in still-wet hair by Anthy's cheek and simply breathed her in. The feeling of contentment in her breast was so great that she was afraid to look and see anything less on the other girl's face, though she was exhilarated to at least feel that her companion also seemed to be taking unsteady breaths. She hadn't moved away so, after a time, Utena felt brave enough to pull her in for the embrace that she had originally been contemplating.

"Himemiya," she said quietly, feeling more than a little shy. She couldn't think of what else to say, trying instead to focus her warmth, both that of her being and her heart, towards the other girl. Anthy's arms were over her shoulders, a hand stroking her hair in a thoroughly calming fashion. Whatever all of this was, Utena fiercely promised herself again that she would protect her friend with everything she had.

Finally, Anthy drew herself up, arching herself on her toes a bit to lean in and speak softly in the taller girl's ear.

"Utena-sama?"

"Uh, yeah?" Utena asked, her blush threatening a rampant comeback and her nerves showing a bit in her tone.

"You're going to get sick, standing around in those wet clothes. We should head to the showers now before that happens."

"Ah, right…"

Utena felt a little disappointed somehow, but she couldn't argue with pure reason. The longer they stood in this drafty building in their present condition, the more likely it was that one or both of them would need a dedicated nurse.

They drew apart, looking briefly at each other before moving to gather their bathing things.

* * *

The nearly scorching hot water running down her face and front was truly divine. She watched with satisfaction as the suds ran down her skin and into the drain, the steam in the room filling her vision. It was not enough, however, to obscure the form of the young woman standing two shower stalls away.

For all her considerable insight into things, Anthy was still wondering how to rationalize her actions earlier. Her prolonged stay on the hill had been a tad over-dramatic, even a little senseless. She was not one prone to inviting discomfort of any sort; the kind that she expected to shoulder at any given time being plentiful enough.

Then there was the kiss.

She could still taste it. Had practically begged for it - and might have, had Utena just pushed her off or walked out of the room instead of pausing to think. She just couldn't understand why she herself had been the one to reach out, to bridge a gap that could have easily existed between them, undisturbed.

Bringing her attention back to the girl standing somewhere to her left, Anthy could sense a new sort of excitement and fear coursing through her thin frame. She was seemingly doing her best to keep herself focused on the mundane task of getting clean, her eyes focused somewhere in front of her and her lovely hair obscuring the details of her face.

The rose bride experienced a hazy wave of satisfaction just then, which blanketed her earlier perturbation. That she had once more succeeded in causing such a reaction in another should have come as no surprise, and she was long past a need to be smug in the face of such a result. Still, the feeling was there and she was equally hit by the uneasy desire to move closer to where that person was standing, to pull the luminous hair away from a smooth, white cheek so she could properly feel those breathtaking eyes on her again.

She moved not one inch from where she was standing.

Now the melancholy hit her hard. She briefly and halfheartedly willed the duel champion to look in her direction, but she knew that there was no point to it either way. Something had to be done and, her jaw set in place, she reluctantly went about it.

With a slow, focused breath there came those amber tendrils of energy, easily emanating from various places on Utena's skin to sweep through the mists in the room and flow into Anthy's hands. She had to be careful not to take too much at once as to be noticed, but neither could she allow her scattered whims to compromise the bigger picture. All the while, she thought ruefully of the tenderness with which she had been held just moments before.

Coming back to herself she noticed, along with the increased pace of her heart, that Utena now stood quite still, bringing a hand up to her own face before slowly crumpling to the shower floor.

* * *

With pure shock that hammered through her and made her arms flail, she quickly sat up in bed. She was in her dorm room, wasn't she? Almost immediately, she felt that her face and neck were damp with sweat, which she tried to wipe off with the sleeve of her pajama top. As her heart rate began to slow, Utena rubbed at eyes a bit before fully taking in her surroundings. She could hear Chuchu's unusual snoring pattern – nothing out of the ordinary there… She leaned over the edge of her bunk to check on Anthy, who also seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully, if the slow rise and fall of the comforter were any indication of this. The only part of her to be seen were a few locks of her purple hair peeking out from under her favorite nightcap.

Mostly satisfied, Utena laid back in bed, bringing her arms back to lock her hands under her head. She couldn't remember whether or not she'd had a particularly bad nightmare (which was odd since she figured those were generally easy enough to recall). Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember what time she and Anthy had turned in for the night. That wasn't so unusual, as she seemed to have developed a recent habit of dozing right off at the highest point of fatigue. Maybe she was simply burning too many calories in her daily activities and not eating enough to compensate for that.

Come to think of it, what had she eaten for dinner? Weren't she and Anthy supposed to have polished off some particularly choice leftovers after her practice with Masamori?

The very thought of food suddenly made her stomach spring into action and demand her complete attention. Not only did it growl, but the degree of hunger she now felt manifested itself as a physical hurt. She just had to get up and fetch some kind of a snack. She even entertained the idea of cooking something up, but it was definitely outside of her realm of experience to turn on a stove and whip something up at what she roughly estimated to be around three in the morning.

She was still pondering her options as she quietly climbed down from her bunk, put on her slippers and made her way out of the room, heading for the kitchen.

As she shut the door, a fully awake Anthy turned over onto her back. Folding her hands on top of the comforter across her stomach, she eyed the door thoughtfully, then closed her eyes, listening for the moment when her roommate would return.

~ TBC ~


End file.
